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Cause of fire near Palm Springs Aerial Tramway revealed

The cause of the fire that burned near the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway all Thanksgiving weekend has been revealed.

According to Palm Springs Batallion Chief Smith, the fire was caused by a transient warming fire that ignited bush in the area.

The fire was first reported Wednesday evening in the Chino Canyon area near the base of the Tram.

Smith said the man that started the fire had to be carried out from the scene after firefighters rescued him from a wall of flames. The man suffered from other ailments and was transported to the hospital. He suffered no injuries as a result of the fire.

The fire ended up growing to 20 acres by Thursday morning, burning down an electricity pole and knocking down the Tram’s communication lines. The Tram was evacuated as a precaution Wednesday night and it remained closed until Friday.

The fire was fully contained on Saturday at 20 acres.

Smith thanked the mutual aid crews of Cal Fire, BLM and Cathedral City Fire for helping to put out the fire. There were a total of 90 personnel on that fire.

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